UPDATE 8/26/2024: Esperanza Middle School will resume in-person instruction on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. Working with the St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS), ServPro was contracted to complete the mold mitigation process.
ServPro has been on site, has developed a plan, and has begun their work. In an abundance of caution, additional air quality testing from ESI Environmental Solutions is being conducted and Esperanza Middle School (EMS) will remain virtual through Tuesday, August 27th.
For both Monday, August 26th and Tuesday, August 27th students will follow the regular bell schedule to attend all of their classes online.
The classrooms requiring mold mitigation are in the lower level of the building. ServoPro created a negative air pressure barrier using plastic polyethylene sheeting to seal off the affected areas, preventing the contamination of other areas.
As a result, that part of the building will not be accessible and the school will not have the classroom space to bring all students back into the building. Therefore, 6th and 7th grade students will return to the building on Wednesday, August 28th, once we have the final comprehensive air quality assessment of the entire building and are confident that all other spaces are safe.
SMCPS has partnered with the University System of Maryland Southern Maryland (USMSM) in California, Maryland who has available instructional space to accommodate EMS 8th grade students while their classrooms are being remediated.
Ms. Jennifer Consalvo, Principal of Esperanza Middle School said, “We are grateful that USMSM is accommodating our students. They have been an excellent partner, providing state-of-the-art instructional spaces for our students and staff so that we can resume in-person learning.”
Esperanza Middle School 8th grade students will be attending school on the USMSM campus beginning August 28. Instruction will be delivered in their core content classes (English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, and Lit. Lab) at USMSM by their current EMS teachers.
They will return to EMS at mid-day, where they will have lunch and attend their special areas classes. EMS 8th grade teachers, along with support staff, such as an assistant principal, guidance counselor, nurse, and secretary will be on site each day at USMSM, supporting students. Additional communication will be shared with EMS families.
8/20/2024: As a result of air quality issues and the presence of mold spores in parts of the building, Esperanza Middle School (EMS) will remain closed to students and staff during the week.
Due to the scope of the remediation area, the opening of EMS for students will be delayed, with the following schedule for the remainder of this week:
- EMS staff will be teleworking Wednesday-Friday.
- Students will participate in virtual instruction on Thursday and Friday, August 22-23, 2024.
- Tech Support will be available for students on Thursday and Friday.
- Schoology support resources have been provided.
- Additional details have been provided to students and families.
Our priority remains the well-being of all EMS staff, students, and families. Understanding and patience is appreciated as we work diligently to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
